OUR TEACHING CENTRE

 GWANGHWAMUN CENTRE

 SNUE CENTRE

 GINUE CENTRE

 ENGLISH FOR COMPANIES

 NEWS AND EVENTS

 LEARNING SUPPORT

You can find some frequently asked questions and answers here. If you can't find the answer to your question, contact us by e-mail.

 WHAT LEVEL OF ENGLISH WILL MY CHILD HAVE AFTER COMPLETING ALL BRITISH COUNCIL COURSES?

On successfully completing our courses, your child will be able to speak and write about familiar topics and the wider world through interacting with the teacher and other children in English. Your child will be able to read a number of different extended texts appropriate for their age, for example, stories, factual descriptions and letters. Our courses also develop the learning skills and positive attitude to learning English that your child will need to succeed further in their English language studies. Please refer to the course descriptions for more information about what your child will be able to do on completing our YL programme.

 HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT MY CHILD’S PROGRESS?

We keep you informed of your child’s progress by providing you with a progress report every second session.  We may also contact you further by telephone or through additional appointments with the class teacher if your child needs more support or guidance to ensure their continued progress. We would encourage you to work with your child and help them review lessons and complete homework to both help your child with their English and help you understand what has been covered each lesson.

WHAT WILL MY CHILD DO EACH LESSON?

We believe it is essential for your child to engage with English in ways that are meaningful and motivating for their age and language level. At the early levels, we emphasise providing lots of meaningful language input through songs, stories and other contexts, along with developing essential spoken and literacy skills. Phonics instruction also forms a regular part of lessons during the 1A, 1B and 2A courses. Lessons at these early levels often involve children listening to the teacher reading a story or describing a picture and then interacting with some of the language introduced in structured, motivating activities.

At the later levels, we place more emphasis on children taking greater responsibility for their learning and using English to communicate about the wider world and topics that are important to them in individual and group projects. Lessons for later levels build language children need in order to complete one or more communicative activities during each class session.

Please refer to individual course descriptions to see example lessons we use at each level and more detailed descriptions of what your child will achieve by the end of each course.

WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO THE TEACHERS HAVE?

All of our teachers are qualified to teach English and have experience of teaching English for a number of years. They all have a certificate in English teaching and at least one university degree. Many of them also have a higher-level diploma in teaching English and/or a Masters degree in a language-related subject. All of our teachers are native English speakers.

We provide high-quality young learner lesson materials and ongoing teacher training to ensure our teachers give your child a consistent, high standard of service.

WHAT HOMEWORK IS SET AND HOW OFTEN IS IT GIVEN?

Your child’s class teacher will set homework regularly each week. Every piece of homework provides children with further practice of the language studied in the lesson. In the handwriting practice is often given from your child’s phonics course book. The teacher will also provide homework handouts that involve simple letter or word matching exercises to give your child further practice of phonics or vocabulary learnt in the lesson. At later levels, homework is set from the children’s workbook and additional handouts. This homework again practises language from the lesson and usually focuses on developing your child’s reading and writing.

HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD AT HOME TO DEVELOP HIS OR HER ENGLISH?

We provide regular parents’ workshops that give you guidance about how you can help your child improve his or her English at home. You can also ask your child’s class teacher for further advice during a timetabled appointment or contact our customer services staff who can pass your questions on to the teacher to answer.

WHAT IF MY CHILD IS SHY?

Central to our teaching approach is being inclusive and fair. We include all children in lessons and work to encourage even the shyest child to develop their English language skills. Our teachers use appropriate, motivating activities that help your child build a sense of achievement and increase their confidence in using English to communicate with the teacher and other children.

IS IT TRUE THAT ONE LEVEL LASTS A YEAR AND THERE ARE TWO SIX-MONTH SESSIONS?

Our programme is divided into academic years with 2 semesters. The six-month semester enables us to ensure the same teacher stays with a class for longer, allowing for a much more stable class environment. It has also allowed us to develop a more balanced syllabus that will focus on your child’s general educational development as well as language learning.

MY CHILD IS THE STRONGEST IN THE CLASS, SHOULD THEY CHANGE LEVEL?

We do realise that in the classroom there may be some differences in ability between students but their language learning potential will be comparable. There is a difference in ability in every class, this is normal and to be expected. Current research on how children learn suggests that children readily exchange information and strategies for learning while working in pairs or groups and this open exchange of ideas and knowledge will be actively encouraged. Teachers will be working from a syllabus that is flexible and allows them to accommodate a variety of learning styles and abilities in a single classroom. We are confident that every child in every class will have the opportunity to learn and develop at an appropriate pace and reach their full potential in a friendly and positive environment. Occasionally, a child is placed in an inappropriate level or makes unusually fast progress. Our class teachers closely monitor children’s progress and if your child is too strong for the level they will inform management and we may then contact you about changing your child’s level.

IF MY CHILD IS VERY GOOD CAN THEY SKIP THE LEVEL EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF A SESSION?

Yes. It is important for us that your child is placed in an appropriate class. If the class is too easy they have limited opportunities to develop. All teachers monitor students as part of the normal class procedure and will advise parents and administration if they feel a child is too strong for a level. However, if you have not been contacted and you feel your child is in the wrong level please raise your concerns with our customer service staff. They will contact the class teacher who will monitor your child’s progress and make a decision about whether the child can move to the next level.

IF MY CHILD IS STRUGGLING IN A CLASS, CAN THEY GO BACK A LEVEL EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF A SESSION?

Yes. All teachers monitor students as part of the normal class procedure and will advise parents and administration if they feel a child is too weak for a level. However, if you have not been contacted and you feel your child is in the wrong level please raise your concerns with our customer service staff. They will contact the class teacher who will monitor your child’s progress and make a decision about whether the child can move to the next level. If a child is struggling in a class, it can be quite damaging to their emotional well being. Whilst teachers are able to make allowances for their individual strengths/weaknesses, other students are rarely so kind. A child who finds a class too difficult can soon lose confidence and start to dislike attending class and/or learning English. As their resentment grows their learning slows, so in order to maintain a child’s self esteem and language learning potential they would be moved to a more appropriate class.

CAN MY CHILD CHANGE CLASS TIME AFTER SEVEN WEEKS, OR IN THE MIDDLE OF A SESSION FOR PERSONAL REASONS (EG. THEY CAN'T MAKE THE CLASS TIME ANYMORE, THEY DONT LIKE THE TEACHER)?

If you are not sure about why certain activities are done in class or you are concerned about your child’s progress, then you should raise your concerns with our customer service staff. They will contact the class teacher who will then explain the reason for particular activities being used or adapt their approach where appropriate. If for some reason your schedule changes and the class time is no longer convenient, we will try to move your child to another class but this depends upon available space at the alternative time.

WHEN WILL I GET A REPORT OR CERTIFICATE?

at the end of every second session. We send you a further report at the end of the semester to show how successful your child has been and also provide your child with a certificate to show they have completed the course.

HOW OFTEN DO WE HAVE AN OPEN CLASS TO ALLOW PARENTS TO SEE THEIR CHILDREN IN THE CLASSROOM?

You will be able watch your child in their class in two open lessons during the semester. The open lessons occur at the end of the second and sixth sessions for Primary English and at the end of the fourth session for Story Time English. You will be able to see how your child has progressed between the open lessons.. You will also be able to observe our approach to teaching English and better understand what children do in class. Children have the opportunity to show their parents what they have learned either through a performance (recitals, role-play, songs) or through a display of work done in class (posters, projects). In this way, the open lessons provide the opportunity for children, parents and class teacher to gain a sense of pride and achievement.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ABSENCES PER TERM?

It is hoped that our students will attend as much of the course as possible. Any absence will mean that some information and/or practice activities have been missed so absences should always be kept to a minimum. A child who has missed more than 20% of the course will probably be weaker than their peers and a child who misses 30% may not be able to pass to the next level.

CAN I PAY FOR THE ENTIRE SEMESTER’S TUITION AT ONE TIME?

You can pay for up to an entire semester at one time. The minimum payment period is one session.

HOW CAN I GET A REFUND?

Visit the Customer Services desk and complete a Refund Request form. A full refund can only be given if it is requested before the session starts. Customers can visit us from Monday to Friday (9am-6pm) and on Saturday (10am-5pm.) If it is requested after this time, students are only entitled to a partial refund.

Full details are contained in our  Customer Agreement ( PDF, 141KB) which is displayed in our centre and is available on our website to download.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR MY CHILD TO TAKE TIME OFF DURING THE COURSE?

If you need your child to take time off, they will be able to miss one session during the semester and be guaranteed of retaining their place in the original class, provided that the following session has been paid for.

HOW LONG IS A PLACEMENT TEST VALID FOR?

6 months

WHY MIGHT I RECEIVE A PHONE CALL ABOUT MY CHILD?

We believe in the importance of working closely with parents to help their children get the best from their English education. We recognise that you have the greatest expertise about your child’s needs, and, that your influence has a significant impact on your child’s motivation and progress. Our teachers will ask our customer service staff to telephone you about a range of problems, which, with your help, we can work to overcome  and so help your child improve his or her English language development. This may be something minor like forgetting to bring classroom materials such as pencils or the class notebook. Even though minor, it is important you are aware of such issues because they can slow the pace of the class and hamper your child’s ability to do class activities.

We may also telephone you if your child has behaved poorly or is having difficulty coping at the current level. In such instances we will outline the problem and agree solutions with you. Some children take longer to improve their English or to learn social and learning skills they need to work successfully on their own or with others. After repeated poor behaviour or if your child is not making progress, the teacher will arrange to meet you to find out from you more about your child’s needs and to agree with you a possible plan of action.